First Meet(Caspian)

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

Susan smiled for a moment happy for what he had done for her protection only wishing he had spoken sooner. The physical draining of the wedding night added to the labor and fight with the demon had made her too weak to fight when he turned on her later. Had she had known she would not have let him touch her so easily. But when he kissed her it only sparked tears, "I'm still going back," She told him, "If anything he believes we're married and he's called off the hunt for your blood for the time being. If there is anything I can do to keep you away from judgment day, no matter the sacrifice I must pay, then I will do it. He's already taken my son, I will not lose you too."

[King Caspian X]

Caspian felt the smile wiped off his face. "Don't leave." he pleaded. "You've only just got here. Tell me what he's been doing. How has he treated you? Do you have a place of your own? Are they always watching you?" Caspian felt his heart sink in his stomach. "When will I see you again?" he asked. "Please, don't do this for me. I want you to be safe, here, in Narnia. Please, Susan." he begged. "Don't put yourself in danger."

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"Do the questions have an end?" She asked almost laughing, "I told you what he did since I've been with you, and I think that gives you an idea of who he treats me. Aside from his nomadic hiding places we don't actualy have a place to stay. I've meen more places in Narnia in the past day then I did in a week as queen. It was only by luck that he chose to stay close to the battlefield from where we fought your uncle. And for the most, yes I am watched. I had to swallow alot of pride to convince them to look the other way so I could get out. I'd think if it wasn't for the fact that they pitied me they wouldn't have let me leave. I'm actualy surprised they haven't come looking for me. And I can't say when we'll run into eachother. Lamont changes hiding places faster than anyone I've ever seen. He uses some magic to travel leauges on end in seconds. Where I'll be when the day is done is as much a mystery to me as it is to you." She was silent, but only for a moment. "As much as I love you, not even you can force me to stay. You will always be my lord and king, my life and joy, my lover and Vidar, but I cannot risk your death. I lost my son yesterday. You don't understand how much it hurt just to give him life. Once it was done I was willing to do anything to protect him, and like an idiot I failed, just like everything else I do. You are the only thing holding me to this world, Caspian. My child is dead, my sister is dead, my brothers are missing - probably dead too. I need you alive or I cannot live. Don't you understand this at all?"

[King Caspian X]

Caspian embraced her. "I do." he said. "And if it helps, Peter isn't missing." he told her, noticing that she had spoken of both of her brothers. Syria has spoken to him. And your father is going crazy and he's driving me crazy too. He paces the floor of the study all day long, asking me, 'When do you think she'll be back?' 'Do you think that she's okay?' 'What do you suppose that Devil has forced her to do?' 'Do you think she's dead?' 'Do you think she's alive?' I might go insane listening to him because he is the speaking the living thoughts of my mind! I can't answer his questions because I have the same ones and I'm asking everyone else! The only time I can escape from him is when I come to pray here or plan to rescue you and need silence. When may I rescue you, fair Cuddle-bug?" he teased her, and kissed her lips once more, never knowing what might really be their last kiss. "Do you want me to rescue you today or a month from now? How does next week sound?" he was being sarcastic, and this was only to cover up how fastly his heart was beating with worry. The King was actually surprised that he hadn't had a heart attack yet. He gave her an encouraging smile, even when beneath it he felt crushed.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

She didn't want to think about her father, not after what the voice had reminded her. She was sorry, not even the voice would dare deny it out of fear of being blocked out. "When Lamont grows tired of me then you can rescue me. I am bound only by his words, I do as he says, I follow where he goes. Maybe one day he'll lose interest in beating me and he'll free me, but for now I am nothing more than his slave." She kissed him, apologizing again and wishing she could see the sun. She didn't know how long she had been there or how long it would take for her to get back, much less without Lamont noticing. The gift she gave to the guards was not one that would outlast riches.

[King Caspian X]

Caspian nodded. "Then you need to take this. . ." he said, reaching into his cape pocket. "Don't peek!" he said, childishly grinning. "Close your eyes. I have something for you." He put a hand over her eyes just the same. "Hold out your hands." he said, pulling the object from his pocket.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

She smiled like a child and held out her hands closing her eyes not knowing what to say or think. She half expected to look up and see her arms chained to his and him laughing and saying she had no choice but to stay beside him. She almost laughed knowing it was something he might actually do.

[King Caspian X]

He removed the horn from his pocket and placed it in her hands. "You must take this." he said. "And," he reached into his pocket again, pulling out something that she might not like as much. "You need to take this." he placed the small container in her hands. It was Lucy's Christmas gifts, the life-giving liquid and her dagger. "It's only right that they should go to you. They were in her bedroom." Caspian said, and held her other hand lovingly. "I'll have something more for you next time." he said. Another code. Meaning that this would not be the last time that he would see her. This would not be their final good-bye. "Hide them." he told her.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

Her hands closed around the horn and she gladly accepted it, but the potion she would not take. "It's Lucy's, not mine. She decides where it goes and until then no one shall have it." She would not take what rightfuly belonged to her sister, it wasn't her place. "And to go in her room and take it is unexcuseable. Put it back, I don't want it." She gave it back to him, holding it by the top, and holding it as far away from her body as she could. Her anger for her lover's violation of her sister's property faded as he spoke again. Somehow they would see each other again. She expected the voice to contradict them, but he didn't as if he too knew what would happen. "I will always wait for you."

[King Caspian X]

"Sweetheart, Lucy would have wanted you to have it." he said, pushing it back towards Susan. "She can't decide where it goes. She's gone." the instant he said the words he regretted them. He didn't want to hurt his lover, and he knew that those words certainly would. But he wanted her to be able to heal herself if she was ever so near death again, as she had been twice yesterday. "Save yourself with this if you need it." he insisted. "Your father gave me permission, so it is excusable. It was agreed that if I saw you again, that I was allowed to bring that to you." Then he reached into his pocket one final time. "That reminds me..." he handed her a sealed envelope. "It's from your Papa. I don't know what it says, but it's for you." Caspian embraced her, hoping that she could find it in herself to forgive him for his poor topic choice when he said that Lucy was gone. "Please, just take them." he said.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"No," She snapped at him almost with anger, "You don't know Lucy, you don't know what she would want. She was closer to edmund who, thanks to the witch, didn't get a gift. Since she's gone she'd want it to be fair and give it to him. Not even the voice in my head disagrees with me. You never knew her so stop trying to decide things for her. And father has no authority to give you permission over her things. She is queen, he is a warrior." But she stopped when he gave her the letter. At first her fingers shook as she touched its edges. Remember what he's done The moment the thought came she gave it back to him not wanting anything to do with it. She didn't want to deal with her father again. She thought she had dealt with this already, why were these emotions coming back stronger than before?

[King Caspian X]

Caspian's heart fell. His face looked like a wounded dog. "Susan..." he said. "Please, just take it. You need it more. And we don't know where Edmund is either. Please, Darling. Take them." he scooted the bottle, dagger, and letter closer to her. The King watched her, praying that she would just listen to him. "Please." he said.

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"I won't," She almost yelled and the effort brought tears, "I've already defied Aslan enough, I won't defy Lucy too." She pushed her gifts away. "I am with the enemy, I can find Edmund and tell you where he is and you can give it to him." But she looked towards the letter and wouldn't even touch it. "I don't want anything to do with him at all."

[King Caspian X]

Caspian looked at her tearfully. This wasn't how he had been hoping to spend their now rare amount of time together. "Why not?" he asked, letting go of her hand. Water dripped down his eye and off the end of his nose. Without Lucy's Christmas gift, and in the worst of situations, Susan would surely die. Caspian felt as if she were pushing him away too, with each inch that she shoved the container back at him. "I'm just trying to help you." he told her. "Why won't you even accept the letter?"

[Queen Susan the Gentle]

"I know," She sighed finding sorrow in his tears. "I am sorry, but it isn't my place to take Lucy's gift. She would have wanted it to go to Edmund, end of story. And I'm sorry for pretty much yelling at you earlier. I just felt like you were trying to replace her with yourself and my father. He had no right claiming what was hers. He shouldn't have even been allowed near her room. But she was too kind." She went silent when she looked at the paper. her muscles tightened involuntarily as she remembered. Tears sprang again as she spoke, "I don't want anything more to do with father." She said, "I want Aslan to do whatever he did to bring him here and take him back. Yes, i told him about Lamont's baby to protect you, and I told him about our marriage and by some miracle he blessed us. That dose not mean things are right between us. I still hate him."